Synchro 101: What is a figure meet?

A figures meet simply means – “figures only”. Every competitive synchronized swimming meet has two components to it: a “figures” portion and a “routine” portion. Normally the total (or championship) score for swimmers and teams are combined scores of figures and routine (50/50). However at a figures meet, there are no choreographed synchronized swimming routines. The swimmer is competing alone against other swimmers and judges are measuring only one (but important) part of their synchro skills. Figures are the positions and transitions to new positions that every swimmer needs to learn, regardless of age or experience. Figures are grouped by age group and have a level of difficulty associated with them. There are eight figures for each age group, and each figure has a unique name – such as “porpoise”, or “sailboat”, or “ballet leg”. Swimmers work on these figures at every practice, and learn to control the speed, height, and posture of each one. It may take a couple of years for a swimmer to truly master a figure, and that is why age groups usually span two to three years, to allow plenty of time for skill development.

Every November the “Capital Figures Meet” is held in Edmonton. It is a regional meet where all competitive swimmers can come together to test out their figure skills against competitors in their own age group. It is a great learning opportunity, and is often a “first meet” for many young swimmers new to competitive swimming. In a figures meet, swimmers must wear black bathing suits and white caps. This provides a level of anonymity to the athletes, as one swimmer cannot be easily identified from another. The judges must focus purely on the skill of the figure, and assign a score.

The swimmer is required to swim out in front of a panel of judges and perform the figure alone. This may seem very stressful to the parents watching this process, but often they are surprised at the confidence of their child who learns how to do this – and are always supported by their team mates!